Hame-fastener



(No Model.) 7

G. H. JOHNSON. HAMB PASTBNER. No. 602,945. Patented Apr. 26, 189 8.

UNITED STATES PATENT I CARROLL H. JOHNSON, OF OAK GROVE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CL AUD BOWLING,

OF I-IILER, MISSOURI.

HAM E-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 602,945, dated April 26, 1898.

Application filed Augu t 3, 1897- Serial No. 646,886. (No model.)

To all whom it may-concern:

Be it known that I, CARROLL H. JOHNSON, of Oak Grove, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in flame-Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to hame-fasten ers; and my objectis to produce a device of this character whereby the heme sections or members may be quickly, easily, and reliably clamped to the collar or removed therefrom.

YVith this object in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that the invention may befully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a front view of a harnefastener embodying my invention and shows the same as arranged in proper position relative to a collar, shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the fastener, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a front view, partly in section, of the fastener in the act of being opened or closed.

The fastener comprises, essentially, two members of segmental form, so as to fit snugly against the lower end of a collar, and asegmentallever, whereby said members arereliably connected together.

In the said drawings, 1 designates a member of the fastener. It terminates at its outer end in a downwardly-disposed hook 2 and an upwardly-proj ectin g shoulder or horn 3. Said member at its opposite end and for about half its length is grooved in its under side, as shown at 4, and in the lower margin of the walls formed. by such bifurcation are the holes 5, approximately U-shaped. Said arms at their inner ends are also formed with a pair of oppositely-disposed and depending ears 6.

7 designates the companion member of the fastener. This member at its outer end is provided with a downwardly-disposed hook S and an upwardly-projecting shoulder 9, said hook and shoulder corresponding in form, location, and function to the shoulder 2 and hook 3, hereinbefore described. The inner end of said member is bifurcated or forked, as shown at 10, for a distance of about the length of the groove 4 of the first-mentioned 5 5 member. The member 7, however, is of such width that its bifurcated or forked end may externally embrace the sides of the member 1, as shown. At its inner end the member 7 is provided with a cylindrical cross-pin 11,

the mouths of said hooks being of slightly greater diameter than the cross-pin 11 of the member 7.

The hook-sockets are approximately circular in form and are adapted to register with the holes 5, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2.

The lever at its free end is of increased thickness, and in the under side of said thickened portion is provided with a cavity or recess 16, and is provided also with a longitu dinal hole 17, intersecting said recess or cavity.

A cylindrical pin 18 fits slidingly in the hole 17 and is provided with a shoulder 19 near its front end and with a notch 20 in its under side, the same being located for convenience of engagement with ones finger and thumb.

A coil-spring 21 in the hole 17 tends to con 'tinually advance the pin 18, and the cross-pin 22 in advance of the shoulder 19 limits such advance movement, and thereby-prevents the dislocation of the spring-latch, as the pin is hereinafter term ed, from position. The front end of said spring-latch is of course beveled in the customary manner, so that as the lever is swung up to its operative position the beveled edge of the latch will strike the free ends of the hook 2 and yield to the pressure thereby occasioned. As soon as the latch clears the inner edge of the hook it springs for- I oo ward to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Spring cotters or keys 23 extend through the free ends of the hooks 2 and S, and thereby prevent the accidental disengagement of the Said lever 65 rings 24, mounted-in the lower end of the hame-sections (not shown) in the customary manner.

In practice the relation between the hamesection and the members of the fastener is such that the latter swing freely when unfastened and when the hame is removed from the collar. It is therefore obvious in handling the hame carelessly that said sections 1 will be caused to swing back and forth, but always maintain their free engagement with the rings or links 24, because the shoulders 3 and 9 and the heads of the spring cotters or keys 23 strike against said rings or links and limit such swinging movementthat is to say, said members never swing so far upwardly in either direction as to become wedged in a new and undesirable position with relation to the hame members, as frequently happens with the ordinary hame-fasteners, and from which position it is sometimes tedious and difficult to withdraw them. Said shoulders 3 and 9 also perform an additional function in that they project deeply into the groove 25 of the lower end of the collar and prevent the fastener from slipping out of position. The customary hame-fastener of course rests in such groove, but projects into it only a slight distance, as illustrated by the two lower dotted lines of the collar in Fig. 1, and thereby are apt to slip.

To clamp a hame provided with my fastener to a collar, it is first fitted thereon in the customary manner, with the member 1 swinging freely from one member of the hame, together with the lever pivoted thereto, and with the member 7 swinging freely from the other member of the hame. threaded through the fork 10 of said member 7 and the cross-pin ll engaged with the proper hook 15, a plurality of these hooks being provided only for the purpose of accommodating the hame to different-sized collars. The lever is then swung in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3, which operation presses the member 1 squarely against the lower end of the collar, when the pivot 14 becomes an unyielding fulcrum, so that the member '7 is pulled toward the member'l and at the same time its inner end swings concentrically around the fulcrum la until the upper side of said lever comes against the under side of the member 1 and the spring-latch has assumed the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. At the same time the rib of the lever is buried in the groove of the member 1 and the cross-pin 11 of the member 7 engages the hole 5, which registers with the hook engaged with the cross-pin. The strain is also removed from the fulcrum or pivot-pin 14, owing to the fact that the pin 11 finds a bearing against the walls of the openings 5 instead of the hooks 15. It will also be noticed that when the fastener is completely closed the latch-pin is not absolutely necessary to hold the lever closed, owing to the fact that the strain imposed by the cross-pin 11 is above The lever 12 is then the fulcrum of the lever and tends, therefore, to maintain the latter in its closed position. The use of the spring-latch, however, is advisable, as it insures against any possible chance of accidental disengagement. It is also useful in that by it the lever may be folded snugly up against the member 1 when the fastener is not in service.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a ham e-fastener which embodies the features of advantage enumerated in the statement of invention.

Itis to be understood, of course, that slight changes in the form, proportion, or detail construction of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus'described the invention, what I claim as'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A hame-fastener comprising a pair of ,members, means for connecting them to- ;gether, said members being provided with I hooks 2 and 8 at their outer ends and horns and shoulders 3 and 9 above said hooks respectively, and pins or keys 23 for closing the open ends of said hooks, the heads of said pins or keys being depressed below the hooks, said heads of the keys and the horns or shoul ders on the hooks being adapted to limit the swing of the members when disconnected from each other, by striking the opposite sides of the links connecting the members and hames, said links being of a size to closely fit the shank of the hook, substantially as described.

2. A hame-fastener, comprising a pair of members pivotally connected to the lower ends of the hames, one of them being grooved and provided with holes in the lower edge of said grooved portion, and the other being bifurcated to embrace externally the inner end of the first-named member and provided with a cross-pin at its inner end, and a lever pivoted to the first-named member and provided with a hooked rib projecting into the groove of the first-named member and registering with one of the holes of the same and holding the cross-pin of the last-named bifurcated member in said hole of the first-named member, substantially as described.

3. A hame-fastener, comprising a pair of members pivotally connected to the lower ends of the hames, one of them being grooved and provided with holes in the lower edge of said grooved portion, and with a hole at its outer end, and the other being bifurcated to embrace externally the inner end of the firstnamed member and provided with a cross-pin at its inner end, a lever pivoted to the firstnamed member and provided with a hooked rib projecting into the groove of the firstnamed member and registering with the openings of the same and holding the cross-pin of the last-named bifurcated member in one of the holes of the first-named member, and a spring-catch carried by said lever and adapted to engage the hook at the outer end of the first named member, substantially as described.

4:. A hams-fastener, comprising a pair of members pivotally connected to the lower ends of the hame, one of them being grooved an d provided with openings in the lower edge of said bifurcated portion, and the other being bifurcated to embrace externally the inner end of the first-named member, and provided with a cross-pin at its inner end, a lever pivoted to the first-named member and provided with a hooked rib projecting into the groove of the first-named member and regis- 

